office

Microsoft has thrown open its iOS Office apps to third-party cloud services, allowing any online storage provider to burrow inside, and with the same support for other mobile and browser versions in the pipeline. The feature, launching today on the iPhone and iPad versions of Office, but coming for Office for Windows 10 and for Android in time, should mean that no matter which cloud store you prefer - Box, iCloud, or something else - it should show up in the "Locations" file picker. Meanwhile, there's also new Office Online integration support, with Microsoft hoping other services will bake the apps into their platforms.

Apple surprisingly seems to be starting to open up some parts of its walled garden experience to those unfortunate enough to find themselves outside. Although it's not exactly the full Monty, which may never happen, of course, at least now some users on other platforms using other browsers will now be able to get a taste of Apple's iWork suite for the cloud, with a few caveats. And provided they agree to using beta version software that may or may not eat your homework.

In 2014, Microsoft made its OneNote 2013 note-taking software free for personal use, something that was well received but not without its restrictions. To do away with those restrictions, you'd have to get a paid edition, something that Microsoft has decided to do away with entirely. From now on, OneNote 2013 will have a bunch of those previously restricted features available on the free edition (for personal users, obviously), something Microsoft said is in response to user requests received over past months.

Microsoft seems to be increasing its efforts to keep its products relevant even today, when many have migrated to using web apps inside browser or tablets and smartphones. Trying to start the year right, Redmond is kicking off 2015 with tons of new features for the web-based version of its Office suite designed to keep you from feeling that you're only working inside a web app. Of course, until you realize you're shuffling files around in the cloud, particularly inside OneDrive.

Microsoft has had its Office apps available for iOS users for a while now and the applications have proven to be very popular. Android users were left out in the cold until the preview started a few months ago. Microsoft has now announced that Office is available for Android tablets. The Android apps are similar in design to Office for Windows 10 and the suite for Android includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Microsoft may be streamlining their efforts with Windows, but they’re about to split Office in two. At yesterday’s Windows 10 party, we got glancing looks at Office on Windows 10. Today, we get a better idea of why that was. Office for Windows 10 is not all Microsoft has in store for us. There’s also Office 2016, which will be available to other platforms — and probably not quite as cool as Office for Windows 10. Luckily, Office fans won’t have to wait long, as Office 2016 comes out in the second half of this year.

While there is, without a doubt, some good in Microsoft embracing other mobile platforms, some of its own Windows Phone users feel a bit left out, if not betrayed, by Redmond's seeming neglect of its own loyal fans. Like for example, the Office Windows Phone app, which is now believed by some to be the worst version among iOS and Android. Microsoft's own Joe Belfiore promised, however, that Windows Phone users would have something grin about by February, but they might not be grinning if the new Office app would actually look like iOS instead.

Poor Windows Phone users always among the last to get flagship apps for their device, if at all, and that has become even more apparent recently with Microsoft offering the best mobile Office experience on rival iOS and Android devices. Hopefully that will changing soon as Microsoft is expected to reveal more details about its upcoming Windows 10 operating system, and if a recent post from exec Joe Belfiore is to be believed, we'll also be seeing completely revamped Office apps for Windows Phone, equal to those on other platforms.

Google Drive and Docs are popular, but for the increasingly competitive enterprise space, Office reigns supreme. Until recently, you and your work mates had to make an ad hoc decision to go with Office or Docs, which likely caused some consternation. Even if you all got on the same page, files coming from the outside likely weren’t of the Google Docs variety. They were also likely emailed. To help on both fronts, Google ahs updated Docs routinely, and the latest lets you edit Office files from within Gmail.

It's the end of a badly-illustrated era. Microsoft has put Office Clip Art out to pasture, replacing the repository of cheesy business photos, creepy characters, and outdated tech with a new Bing Images-powered gallery. The switch could also encourage more use of Creative Commons imagery, as Microsoft will be enabling the copyright filter by default in its new system.